


a thankful heart and joyful mind

by templemarker



Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Christmas Party, Family Feels, Gen, M/M, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:01:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28328664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/templemarker/pseuds/templemarker
Summary: Owen had his suspicions, and when it became clear that none of the 126 were putting through time off requests for the holidays he knew he needed to come up with something.
Relationships: Carlos Reyes/TK Strand
Comments: 4
Kudos: 93
Collections: Yuletide Madness 2020





	a thankful heart and joyful mind

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CaptainSif](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainSif/gifts).



> Happy holidays CaptainSif! I hope you enjoy this wee ficlet.

Owen had his suspicions, and when it became clear that none of the 126 were putting through time off requests for the holidays he knew he needed to come up with something.

The week of Christmas kept the firefighters of Austin hopping -- between tree fires, internecine injuries, and far too many roof rescues most of the firehouse figured out a schedule to try and get folks home to their families for at least some part of the festivities. Looking it over, Owen noted that A shift -- the engine and ladder team Owen typically scheduled with -- were all working the same shift, including Judd, who otherwise had family events marked out in the holiday scheduling.

They'd all be at the firehouse, not quite the same as being able to open his and TK's home to their crew. Still, it was the perfect opportunity to create a holiday tradition here in Austin, especially for the firefighters of the 126 who'd moved from out of town.

\--

It was 2pm on Christmas Eve, right in the early afternoon lull between consistent callouts. Engine and Ladder 126 pulled through the garage doors, got out and started taking off and setting up their turnout gear for the next call. Everyone was tired but in good spirits, chatting and laughing as they sorted their gear.

It was Mateo's excited shout that caught their attention, which happened pretty often. Last week he'd shouted with glee on seeing that the new blender arrived. The rest of the crew headed in his direction, but didn't hustle; it was only once they'd turned the corner that it was definitely worth the excitement.

"Hey y'all," smiled Grace. "Welcome to the holiday celebration!" She waved her arm in the direction of the dining table and kitchen counters, which had tons of different dishes, all looking homemade. The table was beautifully set, decorated with pine boughs and pinecones, a pretty silver-and-red ribbon tying everything together.

"Thank you, Grace," Owen said warmly. He turned to the crew and smiled. "We reached out to the extended 126 community for help putting together a holiday feast for the firefighters working over the holidays, and especially for those of us from out of town spending the holidays in Austin for the first time. All this food was homemade by the kind people connected to the 126."

"Oh, wow," said Paul, opening the lids of a few of the dishes. "These smell amazing, Look at these short ribs!"

"This is so nice," Marjan said. "I've always liked how people come together around the Christmas holiday, whether or not they celebrate it. Being able to share this with you all means a lot."

Judd tugged Grace to him in a hug. "My wife is the best!"

Grace mock slapped his shoulder. "Now there, this wasn't all me! I just helped the Captain and a couple other folks put it together. And don't worry, we took the dietary considerations into account -- not on everything, mind, but we've marked the food that's halal and the dishes that have dairy in them. You should all find plenty of good stuff to dig into!"

After a round of hellos and thank yous and filling plates from the spread, everyone settled around the table. TK set up a playlist that made for good background music, and opened sparkling cider. Partway through the meal, EMS 126 returned from a call, with a police vehicle trailing behind, and everyone loudly welcomed Michelle, Tim and Josie to the table, followed by Carlos. TK brightened up even more at the sight of him, hopping up to say hi and hug him, tugging him over to sit next to him at the table.

Looking around at the members of his crew, Owen smiled to himself, tucking his hands into his pockets. Grace and Beth Healy had done a wonderful job to help put this together, and even with the chance that they'd get a callout all too quickly, the room felt like the camaraderie and connection of a true family gathering. They were good, the 126, coming together and gelling as fast as they did. This was the first of many more opportunities to bring them all together.


End file.
